Food Coma
by ItaRoma42
Summary: It was a long and tiring day for Antonio. Why, you ask? Romano. [Human AU, child Romano and Antonio, rated T for language.]
1. Chapter 1 - Food Coma

It had been a long and tiring day for Antonio even though he didn't even leave his house. Why, you ask? Romano. It was all because of the 5 year old Italian boy, who had not stopped screaming for food as well as accidentally knocking down and breaking precious furniture, thus leaving the house a chaotic mess. At this point, you'd think that Antonio would give Romano back to the Austrian named Roderich, or at least be more firm with the uncontrollable child, however the truth was that the Spaniard didn't have the heart to do either of those things. The poor boy was just so young and probably emotionally exhausted from living in so many different houses for the past few months that Antonio couldn't blame the child. At least it wasn't always so bad. The only time when Romano was quiet and not destructive at the same time was when he sat down at the kitchen table to eat a delicious meal the Spaniard had made for him. And the peace and quiet was heavenly.

This is where we find our abnormal family, sitting in the kitchen just as Romano finished off the last of the pasta, licking the bowl clean and then demanding a dessert. Antonio was, of course, two steps ahead of Romano and traded the bowl for a plate of small slices of peaches (a common dessert for Italians) before the little boy could finish his sentence. Antonio walked to the sink and began to wash the dishes then put them away. While he did so, he was slowly engulfed with the thought of the mess waiting to be cleaned by none other than him. It was probably useless since Romano would find another way to ruin his house before bedtime. Nevertheless Antonio had to at least try!

Antonio turned around to automatically take Romano's empty plate yet he found that it wasn't empty. In fact, there was quite a few slices still on it. The Spaniard turned his bright gaze over to Romano. The Italian's head was nodding while he did his best to keep his heavy eyelids open. He was still trying to finish the dessert, although he chewed very slowly on the half eaten slice of peach in his hand as he stared dimly at the table. Antonio was taken aback, but before he could say anything Romano toppled over and he lunged forward to catch the little boy. After the shock passed, Antonio chuckled as he held the sleepy Italian close to his chest. "I think it's time for bed," the Spaniard said while he walked toward the stairs.


	2. Chapter 2 - Tempter Tantrum

Antonio was abruptly awoken by something heavy hitting his gut. Jolting up and gasping for breath, the Spaniard looked down at his lap to find a very angry child sitting on top of it. As the small boy opened his mouth and began yelling, Antonio came to realize that yesterday wasn't a dream at all. Romano was still in his apartment, and he would live here for who knows how long.

"Bastardo! Aren't you listening, I'm hungry! I want peaches!"

After being snapped out of his thoughts, the Spaniard gave Romano a cheerful smile. "Si, let's have some breakfast!"

As the two sat at the kitchen table, one sipping coffee while the other dug into his sliced peaches, a quiet and peaceful aura took over the apartment again. Antonio watched Romano finish his breakfast before breaking the silence before the loud Italian could. "After I pick you up from school we'll need to visit the grocery store. Okay, Romano?

"Humph!" Romano pouted at his empty plate and didn't reply.

"… Now go get ready, you have a big day waiting ahead!" Antonio tried to sound cheerful to cover his dread. If Romano was anything like yesterday, then it would be a terribly long day for both of them. Making it a point that Romano did not want to obey, the 5 year old very slowly slid out of his chair then stomped all the way to Antonio's room and slammed the door shut. Antonio set his cup down then buried his face in his hands while he took a moment to pray to god that his neighbors would not file a noise complaint.

When Antonio picked Romano up his school, he noticed how deathly quiet the Italian was. The Spaniard had no idea what this meant, even if he was close with the Vargas family, he had rarely spent time with him until now. Hoping it was a good sign, Antonio parked his car and entered the store with Romano, who slapped the Spaniard's hand away every time he tried to take Romano's. Antonio pulled out the smaller shopping cart and smiled down at Romano. "Would you like to sit inside the cart, Roma?" As a kid Antonio knew how much he loved riding in shopping carts, so maybe Romano wouldn't be so different.

"No!" The boy finally spoke while crossing his arms over his chest, then turned his head and stomped inside the store. Taken aback by the snappy response, Antonio had to jog to catch up with Romano.

"Hey! Don't run off, always stay where I can see you, alright?" Antonio was now walking beside the angry Italian while pushing his cart. Romano only replied with a huff and continued not to look at the Spaniard. Sighing for the sixth time that day, Antonio simply followed the young Italian through the store while quickly grabbing what he needed before rushing to catch up with Romano who would not stop for anyone. Several times Romano picked out an item (usually sweets) and demanded Antonio to buy it. Each time Antonio told the child "no" and set the item back in it's original place. "But you can pick out one candy bar at the register!" Antonio kept promising, but it didn't seem to be enough for the spoiled Italian, and the constant nagging was wearing down the Spaniard.

Romano ran down the cereal aisle and spotted a box before pulling it off the shelf. "I want this!" He proclaimed as he held the box over his head. Antonio sighed for the tenth time that day.

"No, Romano. We're not getting Reese's Puffs, now put it back, please." Antonio replied in an almost monotone voice as he picked up a cheaper box of cereal and placed it in the cart. He didn't have the best paying job, otherwise he would've loved to spoil the little boy. Antonio was about to continue onto the next aisle when he saw that Romano didn't obey and was in fact following the Spaniard with the box of cereal hugged tightly to his chest. Antonio let go of the cart and placed his hands on his hips to make himself look more authoritative. "Romano..." He said in a firmer voice. "Put the Reese's Puffs back."

"No! I want it and you're not the boss of me!" Romano hugged the cereal tighter and turned his back toward the Spaniard. A twinge of irritation fell down Antonio's spine but he took a deep breath before continuing.

"Romano, I can't afford two boxes of cereal. Let's get the Reese's Puffs next time." This seemed to calm Romano down a bit. Antonio then stepped in front of the Italian and grabbed the top of the box, carefully pulling it away as if he was playing the Operation Game and if he brushed against the edge he'd be buzzed and loose the game. Just as the box of cereal was almost his, Romano's grip suddenly tightened.

"But I want it now! Put your stupid Cheerio's back and we can get the Reese's Puffs!"

He lost the game, though Antonio could still win the argument. He was an adult, after all! "No, Romano. Next time we'll get Reese's Puffs." If Antonio could pat himself on the back for being so responsible, he would. But for now his hands stayed on the box of cereal.

"Nooo!" The little Italian whined as he tugged the box downward and it managed to slip out of the Spaniard's hands. Immediately Romano ran to the other end of the aisle and hugged the box to his chest again as he huddled in a corner. At this moment Antonio noticed how many customer's were sharing the same aisle as them, and he felt nervous. He didn't want Romano to make a scene, yet he had no idea how to calm the angry Italian. He wasn't even sure why the Italian was throwing such a fit over a small thing. Walking over to the young boy, Antonio returned back to a serious tone. "Romano, give me the box of cereal. Now."

"Nooo! You're a fucking jackass and I hate your guts!"

"Romano! No cussing! You shouldn't even know that word!" Antonio was getting impatient and he could feel the thousands of eyes towering on his back. The Spaniard reached over and grabbed at the cereal again, but Romano pulled it away and did his best to crouch over it though the large box was as big as the boy's torso.

"Fuck you, you bastardo! You jerk face! Asswipe!" Romano was almost screaming now. This was bad. Very bad.

"Romano! If you don't let go of the cereal then….! Then..! Then you're grounded! For the rest of the day!" Antonio continued to try and peel the Italian off the box but the little boy had a death grip on it.

"Ground me! Do it, you fucking whore!"

"That's it." The wave of anger that Antonio kept holding back finally let loose. The Spaniard had shutdown and his instincts took over. Picking up the young boy by his belt, Antonio ripped the mangled box from the tiny arms and tossed it on the shelf. Leaving his cart, Antonio threw the screaming boy over his shoulder and held onto him tightly as he quickly left the store. He could feel all the eyes following him, he could see all the concerned looks on everyone he passed by. He was sure someone was thinking that he was kidnapping Romano by the way the child was screaming and kicking at Antonio's chest while hitting his fits on his back. Antonio couldn't feel anything, the adrenaline had kicked in and kept him from going back. Once outside, the cold wind hit his body like a wall of ice as he marched toward his car. He didn't even realize how hot he felt until now.

Antonio slipped his hands under Romano's arms and held onto his sides firmly as he lifted the Italian and sat him down on top of the trunk of his car. The Spaniard glared down at Romano with fierce green eyes only to have them widen in surprise. The Italian's face was bright red and wet from the waterfall of tears rolled down his cheeks. His eyes were pink and puffy and an abundance amount of snot was already dripping from his nose. The worse part about his face was that he looked scared. Antonio did not want to make any child feel frightened of him, not even Romano. Softening his expression, Antonio bended over so that they were eye to eye. Romano continued to wail and tried moving away from Antonio, but the Spaniard kept his firm grip on the Italian. "Roma… hey, calm down. It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you." Antonio spoke softly, barely above a whisper, but the little boy continued to cry loudly over it. "It's alright, Romano..." Antonio pulled the Italian against his chest and ruffled the boy's brown hair as Romano buried his face against Antonio. This had a much better effect. Romano's loud wails died down to sniffles and Antonio could feel tiny hands grab at the sides of his shirt. "That's it, mi tomate. Calm down." Antonio held onto the boy's back and slipped a hand underneath him as he picked him up and began swaying from side to side. He wasn't sure where the nickname came from, but he found it quite fitting as he glanced down and saw Romano's red ears. Sighing for the eleventh time that day, Antonio continued to rock the little Italian until his cries were no more.


	3. Chapter 3 - Bald Spot

"Roma, stay still, por favor! I don't want to cut you." Antonio said for about the hundredth time to the wiggling child. Antonio was doing his best to trim up Romano's hair in the bathroom over the tub. Since the Spaniard cut his own hair to save some money, it wasn't very difficult to cut another person's hair. If the person stayed still, unlike the little Italian who became bored very easily even with an ipad in his hands.

"But you're taking forever! And I need to poop!" Romano threatened. It worked very well since the Spaniard already discovered Romano's lack of potty training last night. After a few more snips from the scissors, Romano was free. Throwing off the towel that was wrapped around his shoulders, the boy turned around and shoved the ipad in Antonio's hands then gripped onto the top of his shorts. "Go, gooo! I need to poop badly!" Romano didn't need to say anything else because the Spaniard quickly stood up, placed the scissors on the counter top and shut the bathroom door behind him as he left.

After the Italian was done with his business, he pulled a little step stool in front of the sink so he could wash his hands. While drying them Romano glazed into the mirror, studying his hair. He hated it. Everyone in school had better hair cuts, why couldn't the stupid Spaniard give him something better than his boring old hair cut? The Italian began playing with his hair, moving his bangs over the top of his head. If he could cut his hair while it was like that, the hair would stay like that, right? His gaze fell down to the scissor Antonio mistakenly left. With a few found confidence, Romano picked up the scissors with one hand while his other kept his hair in place. Excitement rushed through the little boy as he carefully aimed the two sharp ends in between his bangs, while also keeping his gravity defying curl out. It was the one thing he liked about his hair, since his grandpa had the same wild curl. Trying to keep his breath steady now, Romano slowly squeezed his fingers together and the scissors enclosed around his bangs. With a slow and steady snip, a bundle of hair fell down into the sink and scattered all around the counter. Wiping away the hairs that fell on his face, Romano looked in the mirror only to find that his hair did not stay straight up like it was suppose to. "Tch! Stupid hair..." Romano muttered as he grabbed a tuft of hair on the top of his head and cut it again. Maybe it'd stay the way he wanted it to if he cut it shorter. After a few more tries, it was becoming apparent to the little Italian that his hair would not simply change into the hair style he wanted. Getting more frustrated, Romano's muttering grew louder until it caught attention to a certain someone waiting near by. There was a soft knock on the door before it was cracked open.

"Roma? Are you done?" Antonio was careful not to open the door too wide to see the toilet, but when his eyes caught a glimpse of the mirror he threw the door wide open. "ROMANITO! What are you doing?!"

"I…!… I just-….!" Romano stood frozen, midway through a cut on his right side bangs. With the overwhelming frustration crumbling down to embarrassment, the little Italian's face flushed as his eyes became watery. "I wanted to have a cool hair cut like the rest of the kids at school! But it's not working! And I'm bald now!" Choking on his tears now, Romano lowered the scissors and began rubbing his eyes with the same arm that held the sharp object. He listened to Antonio's foot steps as he walked toward the young boy, then felt his gentle hands carefully pry the scissors away before they made their way around Romano and embraced him. The Italian clung onto the older man's shirt and they stayed there until Romano had calmed down. Antonio placed his hands on top of Romano's shoulders as he slowly pulled away to get a better look of the damage he had done. The young boy was sure he'd be punished this time, the man who had him before would punish him for any little screw up he did. But Romano was surprised when the Spaniard's lips twitched into a small smile, then turned into a grin, and then turned into a laugh. "It's not funny, you jerk!" Romano huffed in irritation.

"Lo siento, Romano!" The Spaniard giggled.

"Sorry, my ass!" Romano managed to punch Antonio's shoulder and the older man let go to rub the sore spot. "You're just laughing cause now you have an excuse to ground or spank me, dammit."

At this the Spaniard stopped and stared at the young boy with a worried expression. "I would never spank you, mi tomate! And I don't think this is really worth a punishment. You understand that you should never do this again, si?" Romano looked up into Antonio's bright green eyes, something he had never done until now. Was he really serious? No spanking? No kind of punishment? The Italian tore his eyes away and looked down to his feet, the steady gaze Antonio was returning made him feel uncomfortable.

"Si..."

"Good." Antonio nodded, then opened the medicine cabinet behind the mirror and began rummaging through it. "Then let's give you a new haircut!" Romano brightened up and tried to peak at what Antonio was grabbing.

"Really?!"

Antonio chuckled as he pulled out a hair clipper. "Really!" Romano's face turned from happiness to horror. The Spaniard could sense it but before he could calm the Italian down, the boy bolted out of the room with lightening speed.

"NOOO!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. "YOU'RE NOT SHAVING MY HEAD!"

"ROMANITO, IT'S ONLY A BUZZ CUT!" Antonio yelled back as he turned around and began his chase after the little Italian.

The next morning Romano showed up to school with a buzz cut, much to everyone's surprise. But, of course, the anti gravity curl stayed.


	4. Chapter 4 - Rainy Day

Antonio sipped his warm Carajillo, set it down beside his laptop, and finished typing. The atmosphere was perfect to write; it had been pouring rain outside all day and what was even better was that Romano was in the living room playing on his iPad quietly. Yes, it was the perfect time to hide away in his bedroom and focus on his book. He was not a full time author since this was his first book, but he hoped that dream would come true after publishing it. Maybe then he could quit his day job, move to a much nicer neighborhood closer to his friends and maybe focus more on caring for Romano. The Spaniard felt a little guilty locking himself in his bedroom. It seemed like the little boy was slowly warming up to him. Antonio told himself that soon his fortunes would change and he could spend more time with Romano.

Just as Antonio finished a long and detailed paragraph, there was a sudden flash and all the power in the apartment building went out. The Spaniard was plunged in darkness and he stared at the blank screen of the old and faulty computer. Realization hit him just as a loud crack from the lightning finally boomed through surrounded area, rattling Antonio's desk. Antonio yelled in irritation that was almost as loud as the thunder. All of his hard work from the past two hours were gone. The Spaniard grabbed both sides of his head and slumped forward with his elbows on the desk, groaning in frustration for a few minutes. After taking some deep breaths, he finally calmed down. Lifting his head back up he turned around in his chair and wondered if the little Italian was alright. His heart broke in two when he heard faint whimpers that were muffled by the heavy rain and rolls of thunder. Pushing away from the desk, Antonio stood up then carefully navigated his way out of the bedroom and into the small hallway leading to the rest of the apartment. The Spaniard crept down the dark hall to Romano's room, which had once been an office. Through the darkness the Spaniard could tell the door was open so he walked in and softly called out, "Romano? Are you okay?"

The only reply Antonio received was more sniffling and some movement on the bed. From what Antonio could make out Romano had hidden himself under the blankets. Once he felt the end of the bed, he sat down and tried to get his eyes focused on the lump at top of the bed.

Now whispering, Antonio tried to sooth the scared child, "It's alright, Roma. It's only a thunderstorm, we're safe." As he spoke Antonio reached out and gently patted what he hoped was Romano's head or back.

"S.. Stop hitting my face, dammit..!" Came a muffled cry.

Antonio immediately pulled his hand away and apologized. "Lo siento, Romanito! It was hard to tell since you're covered in blankets." The brunet smiled and added, "Why don't you come out?"

There was a moment of silence from Romano, the only thing that could be heard was the rain pelting against the windows. Then movement as the little Italian poked out from the comforting blankets.

"There you are! Now will you tell me what made you upset?" Now that he could see Romano better, Antonio placed a hand on the boy's head and ruffled his soft hair. Surprisingly, the Italian didn't slap his hand away.

"Nothing…! The sudden thunder just surprised me." It was an obvious lie from Romano, Antonio quickly learned how to discern lies after Romano had moved in. Antonio also learned from many bruises that it was best to not point them out.

"Ah… Well I have some other games we could play while we wait for the electricity to turn back on!" Antonio quickly said. He guessed the only reason Romano hadn't hidden away in fear of the storm earlier was because he had been distracted by the iPad.

"How are we suppose to play if we can't even see, you idiot?!"

"Romano, don't call someone an idiot. We can use flashlights and candles!" Antonio was getting excited now. He remembered how fun it was to play board games or puzzles with his brother with only candles to light up the room when there was a storm. He had the urge to recreate those memories with Romano, surely he would enjoy puzzle games as Antonio did.

"That sounds stupid." Romano grumbled, but Antonio's hopes and dreams weren't crushed just yet.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" The Spaniard sat up and made his way into the small kitchen where he rummaged through draws to find light, leaving a scared Italian behind. Romano sat rigid as he listened to the threatening rain still pouring outside and pounding heart. There was a flash and a cold shiver ran up the boy's spine as his breathing quickened. Then a loud crack of lightening soon followed and Romano felt his chest tighten as he called out for Antonio.

"H- hey jerkface! Where are you?! You better get back here or I'll get mad!" Romano tried to sound normal, but his body betrayed him and his voice was strained.

Hearing the terror in Romano's tone, Antonio quickly gathered all the items he needed and walked back into the bedroom. He dumped all the items at the end of Romano's bed then turned on a large black flashlight and faced it toward the ceiling as he held it out toward the little boy.

"Here, Tomate, hold this until I get back." Antonio smiled brightly as he could now see Romano a little clearer.

Looking unsure, the Italian slowly took the heavy flashlight with both hands and started pointing the light around the room, then toward Antonio. The Spaniard's smile fell quickly as he shielded his eyes and took a step back.

"Ow! Romanito, don't point the flashlight in-"

Antonio tripped on some clothes on the floor as he stumbled backward and soon fell with his feet flying upwards. As the embarrassed man sat up, he heard a unfamiliar sound. A child laughing. Romano's laugh. The small, 8 year old, always angry Italian boy, was laughing. It was loud yet light and cheerful, something Antonio never expected to come out of Romano. A smile tugged at the corner of the Spaniard's lips as he watched Romano's figure throw his head back and howl in more laughter, still pointing the light directly at Antonio. The brunet began to chuckled as he picked himself back up and got a better look at Romano, who was now doubled over and holding his stomach with one arm. Antonio sat down on the bed and laughed with Romano, his eyes gleaming with a promise to make the young boy laugh more in the future.


	5. Chapter 5 - In Trouble

I am so sorry for terrible formatting throughout this fic. I am still trying to figure out this website and it's honestly frustrating. I might just move to Archive of Our Own, you can find me under the same username.

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Antonio jolted and bumped the top of his knees onto the bottom of his desk when a guitar played the bittersweet melody of _Bésame Mucho_ loudly _._ Realizing that the tune came from his phone inside his pocket the Spaniard tried his best to continue his sales pitch to the customer over his headset as he dug into his pocket then swiped the end call button on his phone's screen and placed it face down. After he ended the call with the customer Antonio leaned back into his chair and unlocked his phone, wondering who could've called him.

"As much as I like Spanish music, you should keep your phone on vibrate, Tono."

The brunet jumped at the voice and slammed his knees onto the bottom of his desk for the second time, which received a low chuckle from the voice. Turning in his seat Antonio looked over to the left side of the cubical where his friend (and co-worker) draped himself over the wall. Unusual red eyes met bright green ones.

"Dios mío, Gilbert. You scared me." Antonio breathed out with relief and turned his attention back to his phone while his friend leaned further over the cubical in curiosity. "It's the school!" Antonio gasped quietly once he read the caller ID.

"Little Roma's school?" Gilbert asked, concerned. The nickname didn't bother Antonio. Gilbert was one of his close friends, and after Romano had moved in a couple years ago the Spaniard found himself calling his German friend more often than usual, asking for advice. Even though Gilbert lived with his parents, both of them worked and left Gilbert with his younger brother to care for.

"Yes, but what could they want?" Antonio's mind raced to all the possibilities. Was Romano hurt? Or the school on fire? Oh god, was Romano dead?!

"You should call them back right now and find out. I'll keep an eye out for the boss." The blond leaned back over into his cubical still looking concerned, the wall only coming up underneath the man's shoulders when he stood.

Antonio nodded towards Gilbert in thanks before calling the number, placing the phone to his ear that wasn't covered from the headset. As the phone rang, Gilbert began to stretch inconspicuously as he looked around the large set of cubicles. Antonio's attention was snapped back to his phone once a voice answered on the other line.

"Principle Tino Oxenstierna, am I speaking to Mr. Carriedo?" Said a cheery, yet authoritative voice.

"Uh, hello! And yes, but call me Antonio." No one really spoke Antonio's correct surname so he preferred to be called by his given name. "Is Romano alright? Where is he? What happened?" Antonio had never spoken to Romano's school before, so he had no idea what to expect.

"Okay, Antonio. There's no need to worry, Romano is well and sitting with me in my office," Principle Oxenstierna continued calmly, as if he had done this a million times. Which he had. "I'm sorry to bother you while you're at work but Romano has gotten into a fight during lunch so I'd prefer if you or someone you know come pick Romano up a little earlier than expected."

"Yes, of course!" Antonio didn't give a second thought as he exclaimed.

"Good, when can I expect you?"

"I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Perfect! I'll see you then, Antonio."

"Yes!" Then the line went dead after Tino hung up. Antonio shot up from his chair and gathered his things, stuffing it all into his satchel. "I have to leave now, tell Arthur that an emergency came up."

"Of course. Is everything alright?" Gilbert asked as he watched his friend hurriedly log off of the work computer.

"Romano is okay but I need to see him." Antonio swung the long strap attached to his bag over his shoulder and then hurriedly left the office.

.

It took every ounce in the Spaniard's body not to sprint down the school's long hallways as he was led by one of the teachers towards the principle's office. The principle told Antonio not to worry but he couldn't help it, not when something like this happened and he was asked to take Romano out of school so early. What could've possibly made Romano get into a fight? Antonio's thoughts were swept away once he stepped through the doorway into the teacher's lounge and saw Romano, sitting alone on the two seater couch. The little Italian kept his eyes to the ground, his bangs hiding his eyes from Antonio's view as he picked at a loose string at the end of his sleeve.

"Romanito!" Antonio breathed as he strode across the room and knelt down before the boy who looked up in surprise but twisted his body away from the Spaniard just as quickly. "Are yo-" His words cut off once he caught a small glimpse of what Romano's bangs were hiding. Grabbing Romano's arms, Antonio tried pulling the Italian's body back towards him. "Who did this to you?! Roma, look at me! What happened?!"

"Please calm down, Mr. Antonio!" The Spaniard turned his head toward the familiar voice to see a man approaching with a plastic bag filled with ice.

The man was an average height, with deep violet eyes that peeked through straight, blond hair. He wore a blue knitted sweater with a white button up shirt underneath, its collar neatly tucked over the sweater. He had a kind, soft face but his expression was focused, telling Antonio he had dealt with these situations more than once.

"The school nurse had looked him over, it's only a black eye," the man added more softly with a kind smile.

"Yes...Sorry, I just…I was so worried." Antonio was a little shaken himself, like he was snapped out of a dream. He released Romano's arms and noticed the Italian was shaking and still looking away from him. Antonio did it again. He scared Romano. Guilt flooded Antonio's chest as he slowly stood up.

"I'm Principle Oxenstierna, but you can call me Tino." Principle Tino held out his hand and Antonio shook it after a moment of staring dumbfoundedly at it. Tino let go then gestured toward a room right next to the couch that looked to be an office. "Let's all sit inside my office for a moment and I can tell you what happened."

Antonio nodded and Romano slowly stood up.

Once inside the office and Romano holding the bag of ice over his right eye, Tino sat down behind his desk while Antonio and Romano sat in the two chairs on the other side, both waiting anxiously.

"Well, where do I start..." Tino sighed. "Romano is a very sweet boy, and very smart too! Yet he also doesn't like being told what to do by some of my teachers which can get him into trouble. Lately that's been happening more often than I like but that is not why I called you. Romano got into a fight during the lunch hour."

"He started it..." Romano mumbled under his breath, making Antonio glanced down at him. It was the first time since the Italian spoke since Antonio arrived. Romano shifted uncomfortably into his seat as Tino pressed on, taking Antonio's attention back towards him.

"I have already talked with Romano and the other boy he fought with separately and concluded that they both aggravated each other and they are both to be sent home for today. They're both old enough to know not to get into fist fights, and my teacher's will be making sure they will not aggravate each other anymore."

Antonio felt relived that it wasn't anything too serious. He had gotten into plenty of fist fights before, though once he became older and the fights more serious, the worse injuries became.

"Yes, Romanito will not get into anymore fights again. I promise!" Antonio was about to get up from his chair, eager to leave and get more information from Romano but Tino held up his hand, then gestured him to sit back down.

"I know Romano will do his best not to get into anymore psychical fights, so I also need you to understand that he gets into many verbal ones with not only kids from his class but teachers as well. He has trouble holding his tongue when he should, and I will not accept any verbal fights along with psychical." Tino's expression softened as his violet eyes glanced to Romano sitting beside Antonio. "I hope you understand. This is a place to learn and to grow, not fight."

"I understand. I'll have a talk with Romano once we get back home." Antonio said with all sincerity. Tino nodded his head then stood up, Antonio followed and the men shook hands again.

"Thank you for your time. And again, I'm sorry to pull you away from work!" Tino added apologetically, a cute nervous expression crossed over his face. "I hope you weren't too busy."

"Not at all! Thank you for calling me in." Antonio was slightly surprised by the sudden change of attitude. The man went from a slightly intimidating presence to a more innocent one in seconds. They left the office and Romano grabbed his coat and backpack sitting on the couch in the teacher's lounge before they left the school.

A deathly silence fell once Antonio and Romano got into the car and began their drive home. Antonio listened to the car engine, occasional sniffles, and adjusting of the ice bag coming from Romano for what seemed like a half an hour before the Spaniard decided to break it. He cleared his throat before starting. "Are you okay, Romanito?"

There was a long pause as Romano shifted in his seat. "...Yes."

It was a forced reply, but truthful from what Antonio could tell. There was another achingly long pause before Antonio continued. "So… What was this fight about? What happened?"

The Spaniard wanted to ask more, he wanted to scold Romano profusely about the fight and talking back to the teachers but he held himself back. He knew more than anyone that this would only upset Romano more than he already was, then he'd recoil back into himself and avoid speaking about the situation for months. No, Antonio had to be careful. Romano was only 9 after all, he was still a young boy. Romano's shaky sigh interrupted the man's thoughts and Antonio stole a quick glance at the little Italian to see him playing with the bag of ice.

"Just some stupid kid, it doesn't matter anymore." Romano grumbled before quietly adding, "I promise I won't do it again…."

The car grew silent again for a few minutes.

"Roma… I'm not mad at you, and I'm sorry that I scared you earlier." Romano's breath hitched and Antonio inwardly cringed, hoping he didn't too big of a nerve. "I know something happened. And I just want to make sure you're alright. So what happened? Please tell me, mi tomate." Antonio could see out of the corner of his eye the little Italian's face grew a dark red and the Spaniard smiled a little.

"I- It's nothing! The brat was being annoying so I knocked him down with my lunch tray."

Antonio had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep his smile from growing bigger as he imagined the cute, tiny adorable Romano swinging his tray with such force it could knock another child down. No, this was not a laughing matter, he had to be serious.

"Where did you hit him?" Why did Antonio needed to know this?

"His face." Romano replied guiltily.

"How hard did he fall?" Antonio's smile grew.

"… Pretty hard."

Antonio burst out laughing, now having a clearer image of what happened.

"Why are you laughing, bastard?! It's not funny!" Romano shouted angrily at the Spaniard.

"Lo siento, Romanito! I'm sorry but…" Antonio's laughter died down into light chuckles. "I'm just glad you at least knocked the little brat down." Once Antonio could control his laughter better, he noticed Romano had kept quiet. Glancing over he saw the boy glaring down at the bag of ice that was now cold water. Antonio barely saw it, but there was a smile tugging at the corner of the Italian's lips.

.

Once they were back inside, away from the snowy cold weather, Antonio walked into the kitchen as he rolled up his sleeves and Romano plopped down onto one of the chairs by the kitchen table. "How about I make us some churros for lunch? Oh! What about cannoli? We can do an Italian dessert for a change."

"No."

Antonio froze. Romano's reply was so sudden and so stern. Turning on his heel Antonio's eyes met Romano's fiery ones only for a second before the Italian bowed his head then glared at his feet with softer, more glossy eyes as he swung his legs back and forth. Something upset him again, and if Antonio had to take a guess it was because of the fight from earlier that day.

"Romanito? Why don't you want connoli?" Antonio asked carefully.

"I.. I just don't like it. That's all!" The Italian pressed the cold water bag to his face as he turned it away from Antonio. That was an obvious lie, but Antonio had to wonder.

"It's about the fight at school, right? But why would you fight over connoli-"

"It's not about the goddamn connolis, okay?! My grandpa used to make them, and..." Romano trailed off, hesitating to finish his sentence.

"Did the annoying kid say something about your grandpa?" Antonio almost whispered, afraid he'd scare the little boy away.

Romano slowly nodded then softly spoke, "He said my grandpa was probably happy to be dead because I was so useless and annoying."

Anotnio felt a burning rage build up in his lungs. How could someone say such a horrible thing to a child? A child that was obviously still hurt over his last living relative's death. He didn't care who said it. Everyone should know how painful it is to suddenly lose everything. Antonio noticed how Romano's legs stopped swinging as his body slowly curled closer together. It didn't matter who hurt Romano now, what mattered was making the little Italian smile again.

Antonio stepped forward then knelt down in front of Romano, gently placing his hand over the Italian's that held the watery bag and pushed it down away from his eye while he held onto Romano's other free hand. The Spaniard brushed Romano's bangs from his face and tucked the locks of hair behind his ear as he glazed into the young boy's eyes. Romano's right eye really was swollen and black, he'd have to get more ice to put on it soon but that can wait for just a bit longer.

"Romanito. You are not useless or annoying. What that boy said to you was mean, and it is not at all true. Your grandpa..." Antonio had to pause. He did not know Romano's grandfather well, Antonio had only used to work for the man. But he knew Romano was extremely close to the old man and he didn't want to accidentally say something wrong. But there was a light that gleamed in Romano's eyes at the mention of his grandpa, something Antonio had never seen before and it encourage the Spaniard to keep going. "Your grandpa loved you so much, and he was so proud of you, Romanito. So proud, he'd tell everyone of the littlest thing you did that day and how amazed he was. And you are amazing, Tomate. With your great taste you know just how much salt you need to add in the water for the spaghetti. You dance like a natural, sing beautifully, and above all you love passionately. You care for your loved ones deeply, and that makes you so strong and so magnificent. Your grandpa loved you just the way you are. So don't ever let anyone tell you differently."

Antonio watched Romano's face swell as his cheeks reddened and fat tears escaped his puffy eyes. The Spaniard felt like crying himself at such a broken, yet happy face. Romano closed his eyes as he shook his head then flung his arms around the Spaniard's broad shoulders as he choked back loud sobs. The water bag fell somewhere, probably leaking onto the floor but Antonio didn't care as he wrapped his arms tightly around the small boy, his hand running through the Italian's smooth hair. They stayed there for a while, Romano sobbing into Antonio's chest as the Spaniard stroked the boy's head, muttering soothing words as they clung together. A flame had sparked inside the Spaniard's chest. A new promise to make the young boy have the best life that he could be given.


End file.
